Environmentalism Goes Upscale; Designers Create Earth-Friendly Items for Homes

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Green can be gorgeous. Environmentalism in the home is hip these days, but it's a far cry from any neo-hippie notion of weaving your own linen upholstery fabric from flax you've raised organically.

Green can be gorgeous.


Environmentalism in the home is hip these days, but it's a far cry from any neo-hippie notion of weaving your own linen upholstery fabric from flax you've raised organically. Rather, earth consciousness has gone upscale, in the form of decorative, sustainable products that appeal as much to our sense of beauty as to our sense of responsibility.


Most of these items have yet to get widespread notice, particularly in this part of the country. That's partly because decorating tastes here tend toward the traditional, and green items are often contemporary in style, said Marcia Wolff, owner of the Akron interior design firm Design Council.


But it's also because some manufacturers are hesitant to label a product green for fear consumers might equate that description with "ugly or funky or something," said author and green-building advocate Jennifer Roberts.


To dispel that frumpy image, we asked Roberts and a few area interior designers for their suggestions of decorative elements that are both earth-friendly and elegant. Here are some of their favorites.


Roberts uses "exquisite" and "jewellike" to describe the hand-crafted glass tiles made by Oceanside Glasstile in Carlsbad, Calif.


The company uses discarded bottles, post-industrial recycled glass and silica sand to make the tiles, which contain up to 85 percent recycled content. The hand-cut pieces include metallics as well as translucent tiles, which have a shimmering, watery quality. The tiles come in both mosaic sheets and larger tiles and can be used for kitchen or bath counters, walls, floors and pools.


"I tell people, this isn't what green is all about. This is what beauty is all about," said Roberts, author of Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes for a Healthier Planet and Redux: Designs that Reuse, Recycle, and Reveal.


Locally, Artfind Tile in Wooster carries Oceanside Glasstile. They're pricey, Roberts said, but just a few used as accents could be a lovely touch.


Just a few years ago, bamboo seemed an exotic choice for flooring. Now it's going mainstream.


Bamboo flooring is made from strips of bamboo cane, glued together under heat and pressure to form planks that rival or exceed hardwoods in durability. Some bamboo flooring shows the bamboo nodes -- the rings that look like knuckles -- and therefore has a tropical look, while other types look much like hardwood flooring.


Because the canes grow big enough for harvesting in five years or less, bamboo is a quickly renewable resource. What's more, bamboo flooring is available prefinished, so you don't have to suffer through having the floor finished in your home, Wolff said.


"It wouldn't look right in every setting," she said, "but in the right place, it's gorgeous."


Roberts cautioned that not all bamboo flooring is equal in quality, so buy from a reputable dealer and look for a long warranty. Many flooring retailers -- particularly those that sell better-quality products -- carry bamboo.


Another flooring material that many designers love for its beauty and functionality is cork. Cork was popular in the first half of the 20th century, and it's recently come back into favor because of its environmental benefits and improvements in its looks.


Cork is the bark of the cork oak tree. If harvested properly, it can be stripped from a mature tree every nine years without harm.


One manufacturer that interior designer Alan Garren likes, Expanko Inc. of Parkesburg, Pa., uses both bark and cork waste in its flooring. The cork is ground, baked in molds and cut into slabs, then finished with wax or polyurethane. Even the cork dust and tree trimmings are used in the manufacturing process as fuel.


Garren, of Garren McCuan Renner Interiors in Bath, likes cork because it's soft and easy to stand on. It also adds a feeling of warmth to a room, Akron interior designer Cynthia J. Hoffman said.


K-Carpet Co. in Stark County's Jackson Township carries Expanko flooring.


Chips of recycled glass embedded in a solid-surface material put a sparkly new spin on kitchen and bath counter tops.


The material, which resembles a terrazzo floor, is strong and heat-resistant. One brand, IceStone, is made from 75 percent recycled materials; another, Vetrazzo, has an 80 percent recycled content.


Neither product is sold locally, but Counter Production, which makes Vetrazzo, has an online showroom at www.counterproduction.com.


In most settings, Wolff steers her clients away from wallcoverings that contain vinyl. One alternative she particularly likes is Innvironments, a line of wallcovering from Innovations in Wallcoverings Inc.


The products in the Innvironments line are made from either natural and renewable or recyclable materials, using water-based inks.


The variety of styles is wide. Among them are iridescent wall papers, leopard prints, grass cloth, linen and cork looks and a wall covering that resembles suede.


Innvironments wallcoverings are intended for commercial use, but are often used in residential settings, said Michael Hardin of the Dorsey Group, the manufacturer's representative in Ohio. However, their wider size and the properties of the wallcoverings make them better suited for professional installation than a do-it-yourself project. A contractor can order the wallcoverings from the company.


More information is available at Innovations in Wallcoverings's Web site, www.innovationsusa.com.


Linoleum is often used as a generic term for vinyl flooring, but the two are not the same. Linoleum is made primarily from natural ingredients including linseed oil, which oxidizes over time to make it more durable.


It's also become something of a fashion statement in the last decade. Hoffman and Wolff are partial to Marmoleum, a brand of linoleum from Forbo Flooring that comes in a variety of colors and designs that can be combined to create patterns much like rugs.


Linoleum is comfortable underfoot and holds up well under heavy traffic, which is why Hoffman chose it for a playroom she designed in Rocky River. Dust doesn't cling to it, and the oxidation of the linseed oil keeps microorganisms from multiplying on it, giving it an antibacterial quality.


Information on Marmoleum is available at www.forbolinoleumna.com.


Both Hoffman and Hudson interior designer Pamela Bayer are enamored with Indika, a brand of natural fabrics woven in Kalispell, Mont.


The fabrics are made from natural and organically grown materials such as silk, hemp and organic cotton, and are free of synthetic chemicals and dyes. Plant and vegetable dyes create variation in the color of the fabrics, giving it a richness, Bayer said.


The company uses the fabric in high-end bedding and towels and also makes fabrics for use in window treatments and upholstery.


"They're gorgeous," Hoffman said.


No local retailers carry Indika, but information is available at http://indikahome.com or 866-446-3452.


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Source: Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News


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